An Interview with: Ball Pit Theatre’s Tom Foreman

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Ball Pit Theatre are bringing an original comedy The Last Sesh to Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. The Student caught up with writer and director Tom Foreman who told us a bit about his play.

How would you describe The Last Sesh?

The Last Sesh is a brand new contemporary comedy that scrutinises lad culture and explores what it means to come to terms with growing up in the modern world. It’s a play that should be relatable to people from all backgrounds and ages because it’s based on our own experiences as a theatre group. There’s so many different themes that come up in the play, from where we draw the line with ‘banter’ to learning to accept oneself – and the comedy is an added plus!

What inspired you to write The Last Sesh? Where did this all come from?

When we first spoke about returning to the Fringe, we wanted to bring an original piece up. I got brainstorming and thought it would be interesting to write a piece that ultimately reflects the biggest worries and concerns in our lives right now, and for us as a group currently that’s growing up, moving away from our friends and families and going to university. It’s a time where we’re all looking back on our school years and revelling in the highlights and cringing at the mistakes, so it’s ultimately a play that reflects our own feelings whilst providing us with an opportunity to make our own exploration of contemporary problems like male mental health and the prevalence of ‘lad culture.’

The Last Sesh is brought to the Fringe by Ball Pit Theatre. Can you tell us a bit about the company?

We’re first and foremost a friendship group, forming a theatre group in 2016 when we all began A Level Drama together. Since then we have performed numerous times as an ensemble and become very close as people, which really comes out in our show. We formed the group not only so we’d have a name separate from our school to perform under, but also so that similar minded individuals in the future from our school could also take performances to the Fringe under one name and ethos.

Ball Pit Theatre have been to Fringe before. What excites you most about coming back in 2018?

The chaos! The best thing about the Fringe is the madness of it all, whether it’s flyering on the Royal Mile or running for shows or changing into our costumes in the venue toilet (that became a ritual last year) the whole thing is just very exciting. We’re also, of course, very excited to bring our piece up and share it with Edinburgh. Personally, this is my writing debut so I feel privileged to be able to share it at a festival as thrilling and inclusive as the Fringe.

As well as writing and directing The Last Sesh, you’re playing Frankie. What’s he like?

If you’ve ever seen The Inbetweeners, he’s very much a ‘Jay’ kind of character. He’s loud and aloof and never knows the boundaries, but it’s been important to me to make sure Frankie is not just an obnoxious character for the sake of humour. There’s a side to him that comes out towards the end that proves he actually also has a very sensitive and hidden side, that he certainly wouldn’t want people knowing about.

Why should fringe audiences see The Last Sesh?

There are thousands of shows to pick from at the Fringe, so to anyone who chooses to give us an hour of their time, we are all genuinely humbled and so appreciative. If you miss shows like the Inbetweeners, this will certainly be one for you… If you want to see some young theatre that has a very poignant and serious message (whilst still having a laugh), we’d really recommend The Last Sesh. It’s fast paced, it’s rude but most importantly it’s an intimate story, and that I feel is a combination not seen too often.

What would be your ideal ‘Last Sesh’?

I’m not much of a clubbing guy! To be honest, my ultimate last sesh would be with my closest friends, sitting in a pub, having conversations and drinking pints. With uni coming up, I know this will certainly be arranged very soon, and while the night will be a laugh as always, I’ll be absolutely gutted to leave everyone behind [when] we all part ways and start the next chapters in our lives.